Insider’s guide to the Oscars: What to know before you watch the show

Claire Folger, AP01.30.2013

Best picture: Confidently predict that Affleck’s opus about the rescue of U.S. embassy workers from Iran will take the night’s biggest prize. If there’s an upset and Lincoln wins, explain that by Argo you were referring to the president by his mother’s maiden name, Argot. By this point in the evening, everyone will be too drunk/tired to call you on it.

Claire Folger
/ AP

CanCon: Point out that Canada had a much bigger role in the operation than providing free food and lodging while the CIA saved the day.Claire Folger
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Best editing: Since 1981, every best-picture winner has also been nominated for best editing. But since both Lincoln and Argo meet that criterion, it doesn’t help pick the winner this year.David James
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Best actor: It’s well-known that method actor Daniel Day-Lewis trained as a boxer for his role in The Boxer, and as a butcher for his role in Gangs of New York. But did you know that while rehearsing for There Will Be Blood, he actually drank Paul Dano’s milkshake? (This is in the category of “true because it should be true.”)Kevin Winter
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Best actress: Nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis is the youngest nominee ever in the category, and Emmanuelle Riva, at 85, is the oldest. But 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, poised to win for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, was once the second-youngest nominee ever, for 2010’s Winter’s Bone ...Handout
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... A win this year will also make Lawrence the youngest winner since 21-year-old Marlee Matlin in 1986 — and the youngest ever for whom no one makes a fuss about her age.Chris Pizzello
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Best supporting actress: Anne Hathaway has this category all but sewn up for her performance in Les Misérables, a feat that comes down to her sobbing rendition of I Dreamed a Dream while covered in dirt.Kevin Winter
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The song lasts just three and a half minutes, making it one of the shortest bits of Oscar bait ever. Although in 1976, Beatrice Straight managed to pick up the best supporting actress prize in Network with just five minutes and 40 seconds of screen time. Straight cried but didn’t sing.

Best animated short: The wistful, romantic Paperman is a shoo-in for the prize. And its wistful, romantic score is by a Canadian, Christophe Beck of Montreal, who also composed the music for the not-so-wistful Hangover movies..
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Best song and score: Another Canadian, Winnipeg’s Mychael Danna, is nominated in both categories. Pi’s Lullaby is sure to lose out to Adele’s powerful theme song from Skyfall, but his Life of Pi score has an outside chance.Jason Merritt
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Best live-action short: Montreal’s Yan England is in the running for Henry, about an old man dealing with the loss of his memories. It was inspired by England’s grandfather, and makes a lovely companion piece to fellow nominee Amour. Speaking of which …Ryan Remiorz
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Best foreign-language film: Another no-brainer, this one will go to Michael Haneke’s Amour. It’s also just the ninth foreign-language film to be nominated for best picture. That list also includes Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima; and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon from Life of Pi director Ang Lee. No foreign-language film has ever won the best picture prize.Uncredited
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CanCon Part II: Spare a thought for War Witch (a.k.a. Rebelle) by Canada’s Kim Nguyen. It’s the third year in a row that a Canadian film has been nominated in the category, though none has won. Canada’s only foreign-language Oscar is for Denys Arcand’s The Barbarian Invasions in 2003.

Sound mixing and editing: In recent history, both prizes have gone to the same movie about half the time (and in four of the last five years). This gives Argo, Life of Pi and Skyfall a statistical edge, since they’re the only ones nominated in both categories.Francois Duhamel

Best documentary: Of the nominees, only The Gatekeepers hasn’t yet opened in Canada. (It debuts in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal on March 1.) This film, featuring frank interviews with six former heads of Israel’s security agency, is the smartest of the five, but look for the musical detective documentary Searching for Sugar Man to take the prize. The Oscars air live Feb. 24 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC and CTV. (Story by Chris Knight, Postmedia News)..
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